The present invention relates to the field of refrigeration appliances, in particular the field of household refrigeration appliances.
Modern household refrigeration appliances have defrost heaters, which are provided to thaw unwanted frost and ice. In this process a defrost period is controlled by a temperature sensor positioned for example on the evaporator of the refrigeration appliance, said temperature sensor detecting a predefined final defrost temperature, on the reaching of which the defrost heater is switched off or remains switched on for a further minimum defrost time, it only being possible to switch the defrost heater off within the minimum defrost time, if a safety temperature threshold is exceeded.
However if the preset final defrost temperature is reached too quickly, the heat emitted by the defrost heater cannot be distributed evenly in the evaporator. This means that the unwanted ice is not thawed at a point further away from the temperature sensor, resulting in uneven defrosting.